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August 31, 2012 | SOI General: Headquarters

Adding Years of Life

By Karl Hejlik

Zuebeyde Horus, a Special Olympics athlete from Turkey, was living with a serious heart condition, but her caretakers didn’t know – until a volunteer doctor with the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program discovered it.
Zuebeyde has since begun treatment for the condition, which makes her heart work much harder than it normally would.
“Treatment will effectively double or triple that athlete’s life expectancy — adding 20 to 40 years of life,” said Dr. Matthew Holder, Global Medical Advisor for Healthy Athletes.